Timepiece with alarm mechanism



Dec. 2 7, 1960 F. MEYER TIMEPIECE WI'IlH ALARM MECHANISM Filed Jan. 28, 1958 INVENTOR.

1) Friedrich geger BY A United States Patent TIMEPIECE WITH ALARM MECHANISM Friedrich Meyer, Grenchen, Switzerland, assignor to Ebauches S.A., Neuchatel, Switzerland Filed Jan. 28, 1958, Ser. No. 711,623

Claims priority, application Switzerland Dec. 28, 1957 4 Claims. (Cl. 58-80) The present invention relates to a timepiece with a movement and an alarm mechanism, having a control stern for setting the movement and the alarm mechanism, the control stem being axially movable against the action of a return spring from a neutral position in which it has no function, in one direction for setting the watch and in the other direction for setting the alarm mechanism, the said spring bringing back the stem into its neutral position after each setting operation.

The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example, one embodiment of the invention. There is shown in the drawing only what is necessary for an understanding of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a bottom view of the said embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II--II in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in Fig. 1.

The timepiece or clock partially illustrated in the drawing has a control stem 1 for setting the movement and the alarm mechanism. The control stem 1 is axially guided in the pillar plate 2 and in a support 3 carrying the dial 4. The remaining portion of the frame of the alarm clock is not illustrated. On the back face of the pillar plate 2, at a small distance thereof, is secured a spring 5 having the shape of an elongated plate, by means of two cap screws 6 screwed into the pillar plate 2, a spacing piece 7 surrounding the stem of each screw 6. The spring 5 extends therefore parallel to the plane of the pillar plate 2. In its center the spring 5 has a hole 8 through which passes the inner end of the control stem 1. The stem 1 has at this end a head 9 the diameter of which is slightly smaller than that of the hole 8, and a groove 10 is provided in the stem 1 below the head 9. A cotter 11 is elastically engaged in the groove 11) and holds axially the spring 5 on the control stem 1.

On the control stem 1 is freely mounted a wheel 12 having a double toothing, viz. an outer radial toothing and a contrate toothing 21. With its outer toothing the wheel 12 meshes with an intermediate Wheel 13 keyed on a spindle 14 pivoted in the pillar plate 2 and in the dial support 3. Near the dial support 3 the spindle 14 carries a second intermediate wheel 15 which is apt to engage an unlocking wheel 16 of the alarm mechanism. The pivots 17 of the spindle 14 are freely engaged in slits 18 of the pillar plate 2 and of the dial support 3, and a leaf spring 19, held on the pillar plate 2 by means of a stud 20, bears against the thick portion of the spindle 14, so that the spindle 14 is normally urged by the spring 19 towards the one end of the slits 18, in which position the intermediate wheel 15 is in mesh with the unlocking wheel 16. The slits 18 having the shape of arcs centered onto the axis of the control stem 1, the intermediate wheel 13 is permanently in mesh with the wheel 12 when the spindle 14 moves in the slits 18.

On the control stem 1 is in addition freely mounted a part 22 having a contrate toothing 23 facing the contrate toothing 21 of the Wheel 12. The part 22 is rigidly fixed to the hub 24 of a toothed wheel 25. The wheel 25 is in mesh with a setting wheel 26 pivoted on a cap screw 27 screwed into the pillar plate 2. The setting Wheel 26 in turn meshes with a minute wheel 28 pivoted on a projection 29 of the pillar plate 2. The minute wheel 28 engages the cannon pinion 30 carrying the minute hand 31, whereas the pinion 32, rigidly fixed to the minute wheel 28, meshes with the hour wheel 33 carrying the hour hand 34. The alarm hand 35 is carried by the unlocking wheel 16. A mechanism which forms no part of the present invention, for instance of the type described in my co-pending application Serial No. 711,624, now Patent No. 2,921,148, connects the unlocking wheel 16 with the hour wheel 33, in order to release the alarm mechanism at the desired time.

The contrate toothings 21 and 23 of the parts 12 and 22 are identical with each other and have, therefore, the same number of teeth, the same pitch and the same depth of gaps. In the control stem 1, transversely to its axial direction, is fixed a pin 36 the length of which is substantially equal to the diameter of the part 22, whereas the diameter of the pin 36 is at most equal to the width of the gaps of the contrate toothings 21 and 23, The pin 36 is arranged on the stem 1 at such a height that it normally lies between both contrate toothings 21 and 23, at the same distance therefrom. The control stem 1 has at its outer end an operating knob (not shown).

The clock illustrated is an electric clock, and its motor, which forms no part of the invention, will not be described here.

The operation is as follows:

In the position of the parts illustrated in the drawing and more particularly in Fig. 2, the control stem 1 is in its neutral position, in which the pin 36 is equidistant from the contrate toothings 21 and 23 of the parts 12 and 22. In this position the stem 1 has therefore no function. It the clock is to be set, that is to say if the minute and hour hands 31 and 34 are to be moved, the operating knob of the stem 1 is seized and the stem 1 is pulled downwards in Fig. 2, against the action of the spring 5, so that the pin 36 enters the toothing 23 of the part 22. If the stem 1 is now turned, the gears 25, 26, 28 and 32 are driven, so that the hands 31 and 3.4 can be moved by the amount desired in either direction. When the operating knob of the stem l is released, :the stem 1 takes again its initial position under the action of the return spring 5., In the same manner, for displacing the alarm hand 35, it sufiices to push the stem 1. upwards in Fig. 2, against the action of the spring 5, so that the pin 36 enters the toothing 21 of the wheel 12. By turning the stem 1, its rotation is transmitted to the gears 12, 13, 15 and 16. Due to the fact that the spindle 14 carrying the intermediate wheels 13 and 15 is pivoted in the slits 18, the unlocking wheel 16 can be turned only in one direction, viz. in the counter-clockwisc direction of Fig. l, in order to prevent the alarm mechanism from being damaged. If, indeed, the wheel 12 is turned in the clockwise direction of Fig. 1, the tangential force exerted on the wheel 13 causes the spindle 14 to move in the slits 18 and, therefore, the wheel 15 is disengaged from the wheel 16. When the operating knob of the stem 1 is released, the stem 1 takes again its initial position under the action of the return spring 5.

The alarm clock such as described and illustrated may, for instance, be mounted on a radio receiver and be arranged in such a manner that it puts the receiver into service when the alarm mechanism is released. The arrangement of the control stem 1 being automatically returned into its neutral position is particularly useful for preventing the alarm clock from being put out of order by children that would inopportunely turn the control stem 1.

While I have described and illustrated one embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to unnecessarily limit the scope thereof, but reserve the right to make such modifications and rearrangements of the several parts as may come within the purview of the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a timepiece comprising a movement with hour and minute hands and an alarm mechanism with alarm hand, a frame, a control stem axially slidable in said frame, two toothed wheels freely mounted on said control stem, a transverse pin secured to said control stem, said wheels each having a contrate toothing adapted to engage said transverse pin upon axial displacement of said control stem, a first gearing connecting one of said toothed wheels to said hour and minute hands and a second gearing connecting the other of said toothed wheels to said alarm hand, a return spring constituted by an elongated plate secured to said frame at a distance therefrom, said plate being fixed at its center to the inner end of said control stem, said control stem being capable of taking two axial end positions and one neutral intermediate position, the whole being arranged in such a way that when said control stem is in its neutral position, said return spring is slack and said transverse pin does not engage any of said wheels, and that said control stem can be displaced from that neutral position against the action of said return spring in one direction for setting the hands of the movement and in the other direction for setting the alarm hand, said transverse pin then engaging the one or the other of said wheels and said return spring bringing back said stem into its neutral position after each setting operation.

2. In a timepiece comprising a movement with hour and minute hands and an alarm mechanism with alarm hand, a frame, a control stern axially slidable in said frame, two toothed wheels freely mounted on said control stem, a transverse pin secured to said control stem, said wheels each having a contrate toothing adapted to engage said transverse pin upon axial displacement of said control stem, a first gearing connecting one of said toothed wheels to said hour and minute hands and a second gearing connecting the other of said toothed wheels to said alarm hand, a return spring mounted on said frame and fixed to the inner end of said control stem, said control stem being capable of taking two axial end positions and one neutral intermediate position, the whole being arranged in such a way that when said control stem is in its neutral position, said return spring is slack and said transverse pin does not engage any of said wheels, and that said control stem can be displaced from that neutral position against the action of said return spring in one direction for setting the hands of the movement and in the other direction for setting the alarm hand, said transverse pin then engaging the one or the other of said wheels and said return spring bringing back said stem into its neutral position after each setting operation.

3. In a timepiece comprising a movement with hour and minute hands and an alarm mechanism with alarm hand, a frame, a control stem axially slidable in said frame for selectively setting the hands of the movement and the alarm hand, a return spring constituted by an elongated plate secured to said frame at a distance therefrom, said plate being fixed at its center to the inner end of said control stern, said control stem being capable of taking two axial end positions and one neutral intermediate position, the whole being arranged in such a way that when said control stem is in its neutral position, said return spring is slack and said stem has no function, and that said control stem can be displaced from that neutral position against the action of said return spring in one direction for setting the hands of the movement and in the other direction for setting the alarm hand, said return spring bringing back said stem into its neutral position after each setting operation.

4. In a timepiece with a movement and an alarm mechanism, a frame, a control stem for setting the movement and the alarm mechanism, a return spring constituted by an elongated plate secured to said frame at a distance therefrom, said plate being fixed at its center to the inner end of said control stem, said control stem being axially movable against the action of said return spring from a neutral position in which it has no function, in one direction for setting the movement and in the other direction for setting the alarm mechanism, said spring bringing back said stem into its neutral position after each setting operation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 418,130 Hart Dec. 24, 1889 504,432 Grunberg Sept. 5, 1893 1,845,440 Piquet Feb. 16, 1932 2,097,487 Kinnear Nov. 2, 1937 2,554,402 Ditisheim May 22, 1951 2,635,690 Boyles Apr. 21, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 484,359 Italy Sept. 8, 1953 

